


Extra Credit

by BohemianRhapsodyInBlue



Series: Could Have Been [4]
Category: Glee, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Anxiety, Exhaustion, High School, M/M, Sebastian Smythe is Barry Allen | The Flash, Stress, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BohemianRhapsodyInBlue/pseuds/BohemianRhapsodyInBlue
Summary: ‘You’ve done all your work, right?’Barry snorted.‘I wish.’Hunter frowned, having seen Barry write three different essays just that day. Surely there couldn’t be more.-The workload Barry's been given becomes too much.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Hunter Clarington, Hunter Clarington/Sebastian Smythe
Series: Could Have Been [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758346
Comments: 5
Kudos: 103
Collections: Flash - Coldflash





	Extra Credit

**Author's Note:**

> So with quarantine and everything you'd think i'd have more time right? but noooo because I've managed to completely fill my schedule and i have like no time haha
> 
> but someone commented this morning and it was an easy enough request that I figured I could write it pretty quickly.
> 
> So here you go, hope you enjoy!
> 
> also got my science info from this dissertation, it is not my work, I know nothing about physics, so credit goes to them  
> https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/handle/1794/25232

‘Dude, you’re spelling hydroelectricity wrong.’ 

‘Can you not? I’m nearly finished.’ Thad whined, pushing Flint from where he was leaning over the back of the couch. The boy just laughed, returning to where he’d been looking over Thad’s shoulder.

‘But look, you’re missing the ‘o’’ Flint pointed, leaning down to jab at Thad’s paper.

The smaller boy went still.

Suddenly, he burst out laughing. Flint reared back at the reaction.

‘Oh my God!’ Thad choked out between laughs, ‘How have I written an entire essay on something I can’t even spell?’ 

‘Is he ok?’ Nick asked with an amused look.

‘I think he’s snapped.’ Flint responded, only looking slightly concerned for the boy who was still laughing.

‘Who even likes science? This is ridiculous.’ Thad panted, starting to sober up as he went through the essay trying to squeeze an extra letter into each of the words. 

Flint gave him a sympathetic smile before nodding his head in Sebastian’s direction, who was hunched over his work. Much to their surprise he looked just as bored as everyone else did since Wes suggested they set aside their Wednesday afternoons to all study and get work done together.

‘Sebastian, how’s your essay going?’ Thad called, fully ready to take satisfaction in the boy’s apparent dislike of this work.

They watched as Sebastian slowly raised his head, his eyes taking longer to come up from the page as he finished another sentence. He looked at Thad warily before responding.

‘Alright? I guess. I’m writing about a solar cell model that has more solar photon generation and contact recombination, but it’s kind of hard to do completely theoretically, you know?’ Sebastian shrugged. At the blank looks he received he continued.

‘I mean I asked Miss Jane if I could make a model but she said it would cost too much to get materials.’ 

‘I thought we were just meant to write about a clean way to make energy.’ Nick spoke up having heard their conversation. He looked down doubtfully at his own work.

‘Well, yeah, and I was just gonna write about solar energy but then I realised that most of the photovoltaic technologies that people use nowadays, including silicon and metal-halide perovskites, are limited more by their contacts than recombination in the bulk of the absorber.’ He explained.

‘So I was thinking that if I could link the currents across this model I’ve come up with the continuity equation, obviously assuming the quasi-Fermi levels are basically flat, and then adding the partial currents at each contact, I could come up with an expression for the current-voltage behaviour.’ Sebastian trailed off seeing the other boy’s expressions.

‘So yeah, then I could suggest a more efficient type of solar cell, you know?’ He finished, his voice warping as he stifled a yawn.

Hunter’s arm came up to rub his back absentmindedly, clearly desensitised to the way his boyfriend was speaking.

Thad wanted to scowl, looking down at his work, knowing that whatever Sebastian had written was gonna be a lot better. Before coming to the decision that there was absolutely no way he was starting over. It’d still get a good grade, it wasn't like Miss Jane had asked for a degree level essay, he thought to himself sneering at Sebastian across the room.

-

Barry dropped his pen onto the table and tried not to slam his notebook shut too harshly. After all he didn’t want to wrinkle the pages after all the work he’d put into that. He slumped back onto the couch with a huff, heavily leaning against Hunter. 

He watched Hunter write, finding the movement of the pen almost hypnotising. It looked like he was writing some kind of mock article about the book they’d been reading in class. Barry groaned remembering that he still hadn’t done that work. He tensed as he felt the heaviness growing in his chest at the reminder. There was no way he was gonna get it all done tonight, which meant that he was gonna have to leave something until tomorrow. Barry closed his eyes, knowing that he was just gonna get more to do tomorrow and he still hadn't started the rest of his normal homework. It was due next week but he didn't want to forget and then have to try and find extra time to get that done. 

Barry took a deep breath. It was fine. He'd do what he could that was due in that week, and if there was still work to do he would just have to spend the weekend finishing it. He could do that, Barry thought with a sigh. 

He found himself promising himself he’d do the article that night. He didn’t think he had the energy to do it right then. Sure if he was on his own he could just speed through, but he still had to actually think about it, which was mentally exhausting on its own. Stupid task. He didn’t want to be a journalist. Writing an article wasn’t going to help his future, nor was it going to help him get into the mentality of the political allegory they were meant to be getting from the book. 

Barry frowned thinking about it.

He read through what Hunter was writing, it was good, despite the fact that Hunter had had his own complaints about the task.

‘We get it, don’t be a communist, we don’t need to write an article about it!’ Barry chuckled at the memory.

‘You alright?’ Hunter whispered having felt the boy shake with laughter against his shoulder, luckily not on the arm he was writing with.

‘Yeah, just tired.’ 

Hunter smiled.

‘You’ve done all your work, right?’

Barry snorted.

‘I wish.’

Hunter frowned, having seen Barry write three different essays just that day. Surely there couldn’t be more. He was about to ask more, or offer his help, twisting his neck awkwardly to be able to see the boy leaning against him. But the way Barry’s eyes were drooping made him think otherwise.

He shifted so he could put his arm around him. Barry made a whining noise at the movement before relaxing into Hunter’s side.

‘I’ll help you with the rest later.’ He spoke quietly. Barry nodded tiredly.

-

‘Sebastian!’ Barry jumped awake, his head flying up from where he’d been slumped over the lab desk. Mr Bennett also jumped back to avoid being head butted.

‘Are you ok? It’s not like you to fall asleep in class.’ The teacher asked, trying not to sound too hurt at the implication that his classes were that boring.

Barry ducked his head under the stares of the rest of the class, lots of them giggling and whispering to each other. 

‘Sorry Sir, I had a late night, it won’t happen again.’ Mr Bennett watched him closely, concerned for his brightest student, but he had to be fair to the rest of the class.

‘Make sure it doesn’t.’ He warned trying to sound more stern, ‘And see me after class.’

Barry nodded looking down at his notebook.

He’d been taking notes from the powerpoint Mr Bennett had been presenting. He didn’t remember falling asleep but he could see where his writing had gotten messy and his pen had slid across the page.

Barry felt his face heating up, he didn’t think he’d ever actually fallen asleep in class before. What was wrong with him?

He’d been up all night trying to finish off the rest of his work alongside the extra work he’d been given. He’d turned Hunter away knowing that he would actually get it done quicker without the boy’s presence. Not that he could easily explain that, much to Hunter’s concern.

He’d still been up late though. He couldn’t exactly make his laptop speed up when he was doing research. 

But still, he shouldn’t be falling asleep in class.

He had superpowers.

Literal superpowers.

He shouldn’t feel this drained from some homework.

Especially since he hadn't even finished it. Barry sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the familiar discomfort pressing on his ribs. It was fine. 

Barry shook his head, trying to refocus on the lesson so Mr Bennett wouldn’t think he was slacking.

He managed to make it through the rest of the lesson with out falling asleep, thank god.

As the bell rang, Barry watched as the class began to pack their things away and leave the room. He stayed in his seat, dreading whatever the teacher had to say. He liked Mr Bennett, and he recognised that this was actually an important class for him to do well in. Not that he could ever fail high school chemistry, but he didn’t want to get a lower gpa because he fell asleep in class.

Barry shook his head. Mr Bennett wouldn’t be that petty.

The man in question made his way over, leaning against the desk in front of Barry and crossing his arms.

‘So do you want tell me what that was about?’

‘I was just up all night doing work, I’ll try not to fall asleep in class again Sir.’ He spoke apologetically.

‘Yes well, maybe you could try and get your work done during the day and then you won’t have to stay up all night.’

Barry let out a soft laugh.

‘With all due respect Sir, I’m doing that already. I’m spending every free moment getting work done.’ Barry shrugged tiredly.

Mr Bennett frowned.

‘Are you struggling with it? Everyone else seems to be able to have time to relax.’

‘It’s just the extra credit work I’ve been doing is taking up a lot of my time.’ Barry watched as his teacher frowned even further. A spark of worry shot through him, he didn’t want Mr Bennett to be angry at him for not wanting the extra credit.

‘I’m sorry Sebastian, I’ve only been giving you two essays per week and you always got them in on time so I thought you could handle it. I can stop if you’d like.’ Mr Bennett said looking apologetic.

‘No, I enjoy your’s, honestly, and I can actually do them quickly, it’s just all the others.’

Mr Bennett paused.

‘The other teacher’s are giving you extra credit work too?’ This time it was Barry’s turn to frown. 

‘Yeah, most of my other lessons.’

‘How much are they giving you?’

Barry paused to think on it.

‘At least one piece of work for each subject per week, I guess, sometimes more.’ He shrugged.

‘And that’s on top of the homework everyone has to do?’ 

Barry nodded, not liking the way Mr Bennett was looking at him with such guilt on his face.

’So answer me this, right now, how much work have you got to do?’

Barry paused again, closing his eyes to run through what he still needed to get done.

‘I have some French work due this afternoon that I nearly finished last night, then I got two new essays yesterday that I’ve started, I got three new pieces of work this morning, and I think I have two pieces of normal homework that I haven’t started due next week.’ Barry listed, ‘Oh and I have English this afternoon so I’ll probably get another essay then.’

Weirdly, Barry felt a pain forming in his throat, like a lump trying to stop him from speaking. The back of his eyes starting to burn. What the hell? He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to cry over some stupid homework. He felt his knee start bouncing and accepted it as a good enough distraction.

Mr Bennett’s eyes were wide.

‘Sebastian, that’s too much, surely you’re not struggling enough in your other classes to warrant this much work.’

‘Oh no, I’m not, I was a little at the start of the year ‘cause I’m just not as interested in those subjects but I’m pretty sure I have perfect grades now.’

Barry watched as Mr Bennett sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. Didn’t teachers talk to each other? Surely they weren’t completely unaware of all the extra credit he’d been given? That being said they probably weren’t in the habit of talking about one student in particular and what work they gave him.

‘Right, don’t worry Sebastian, I’ll talk to your teachers and sort this out. If I’d known how much work you were getting I wouldn’t have added to your stress.’

‘No, but I don’t want my grades to go down!’

Mr Bennett gave him a calming look.

‘Sebastian, you said so yourself, you’ve got perfect grades, they won’t go down.’

Barry frowned, he supposed that made sense, he was just so in the habit of having all that work, he didn’t know what he was gonna do with all the free time he’d have without it.

‘I’ll make sure they only give you extra work if you ask for it, ok?’ Mr Bennett tipped his head slightly to try and catch Barry’s lowered eye line.

‘Ok.’ Barry nodded carefully. ‘Thanks Sir.’

Mr Bennett nodded.

‘It’s no problem, now go enjoy your lunch.’ He said nodding his head towards the door.

Barry packed his stuff away and left the classroom, taking a breath and he slowed his pace realising he didn’t need to rush anywhere to get things done.

‘Good lesson?’ Hunter asked as he sat down beside him at the lunch table, noticing the smile on his face. Barry took another deep breath, he hadn’t noticed how stressed he’d been with all the work until now. He gave Hunter a carefree grin.

‘Yeah.’


End file.
